Rewrite That Witch
CH369 · Rewrite
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Chapter 369: Changes

Steam rose from the bathtub and gathered along the ceiling.

Wendy worked the soap across the girl’s skin — behind the ears, under the arms, between each finger — and watched the dirt come away in grey ribbons. It swirled in the foam and slid toward the drain, and beneath it, gradually, came pale skin: thin and slightly yellowed with hunger, but skin. Wendy felt something she hadn’t felt in quite a while settle into place in her chest.

Satisfaction, of a specific kind.

In the old days — when the Witch Cooperation Association was still running from city to city, one step ahead of the Church — there had always been someone who needed this. A new witch who had woken to her power in the dark and hadn’t understood it, who had thought she was dying, who had thought she deserved it. A girl with a rope burn, or a bruise, or just the particular hollowness in the eyes of a person who has given up expecting things to improve. Leaf had been like that. Lily. Even Nightingale, who had been careful never to show it.

Since Border Town, that need had mostly disappeared. No one worried about survival anymore; everything was provided, and Roland had seen to every detail. She was grateful for all of it. She simply missed the particular usefulness of being the one who could steady a person who was still falling.

Now she had that again.

“Close your eyes. I’m turning the water on.”

“Okay.” The girl’s voice slid out soft and quiet, not much above a breath.

The water ran past her bangs and down the back of her neck. Three rinses before the water ran clear. Wendy took that time to look at what was underneath: a spine you could see from behind, arms that a single hand could span, skin the color of a tallow candle — white-yellow, the color of a body that has been promised nothing and given less. Her name was Paper, and she looked it.

Luckily she’s a witch. Properly cared for, she would recover. The body of a witch healed better than it had any right to.

After rinsing, Wendy tested the water temperature and lifted the girl in, settling her into the bath. The water was near-scalding — that first moment always was — but Paper exhaled slowly and didn’t pull away. Wendy spun her gently around so she could sit in her lap and begin the long work of parsing through her hair, which had wound itself into a single matted mass over what was probably weeks, or longer.

Paper let out a low involuntary sound. Not pain. Something else — the sound of a person who has been cold for a long time suddenly remembering what warm felt like. She gripped Wendy’s hands, held tight for a moment, then gradually let go.

“When did you first know you were a witch?”

“Two… two years ago.” A pause. “In winter, I think. Just like now.”

“That’s not surprising.” Wendy separated a strand and worked it free from the knot. “Most witches awaken during the Months of Demons. The magic power is strongest in this season — or so the story goes.”

“Isn’t it…” Paper stopped, then finished: “Isn’t it demonic power?”

“Of course not.” Wendy patted the top of her head once, gently. “Becoming a witch is entirely ordinary. We can do things other people can’t imagine, yes — but we’re not different in the ways that matter. Several hundred years ago, people considered witches blessed by the gods.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely.”

The full truth is more complicated, Wendy thought — the physical differences, the sterility, the questions of lifespan and the Day of Awakening. But those were lessons for another bath, another day, when Paper was steadier. Slowly. Everything in its time.

“Then what is magic power?” Paper asked, almost shyly.

“A type of natural energy.” Wendy considered it for a moment. “Like sunlight, in a way — except sunlight sets. Magic power is always present. Think of it as an extension of yourself, one that grows as you grow.”

“It grows?”

“It does. Your power will expand as you develop, and your body will need to develop alongside it — expand its own limits to accommodate the growth. Otherwise there’s a backlash.” She worked a particularly stubborn knot loose. “The Church used this fact to their own ends, calling it the devil’s energy devouring its host. But that’s not what happens. As long as you practice — continuously, consistently — even strong growth won’t harm you. If you awakened two years ago, you’ve already lived through a Day of Awakening.” She paused. “It must have hurt badly.”

Paper nodded without speaking.

“Now that you’re in Border Town, that will change.” Wendy drew the last strand smooth and began on the next section. “As long as you make the most of this time, this year’s Day of Awakening will be much easier than the last.”

The bathroom door banged open.

Lily ran in with a towel folded over one arm, eyes already scanning the room. “I heard there was a new sister! Where — oh.” She spotted Paper and beamed. “Mystery Moon wouldn’t stop being anxious until I dragged her here.”

“You were the anxious one.” Mystery Moon appeared in the doorway, dragged indeed, and glared at Lily’s back. “I don’t even understand why we had to come while she’s bathing. What if we need our abilities this afternoon?”

“There’s no harm in resting one day. His Highness won’t need you anyway — it’s not as if you’re Miss Anna.”

”…You traitor.”

Paper had pulled her neck in and sunk her chin below the waterline, watching the two of them from across the tub with wide, uncertain eyes.

Lily climbed up onto the edge of the tub and peered down at her with the frank curiosity of someone inspecting a particularly interesting creature. “So this is the new witch? We’re probably about the same age, but you can still call me big sister.”

“Why would she call you big sister if she’s your age?” Mystery Moon stepped further into the room despite herself.

“These two belong to the Border Town witches,” Wendy introduced, smiling. “They seem loud, I know — but when they first arrived here, both of them were exactly as you are now. Especially Mystery Moon. She spoke in a voice even quieter than yours.”

“I was simply concerned His Highness would look down on me for my weak abilities,” Mystery Moon muttered, folding her arms.

“His Highness has told you several times — your power has barely been explored. Once you finish Elementary Physics, it could evolve into something that surprises everyone.”

“She doesn’t even know all the words in the book yet,” Lily said helpfully. “She barely passed the last examination. She comes to me at night for help with the theories and formulas, and by the time she’s learned them all, His Highness will have unified the entire kingdom and won’t need any of us.” She turned her attention back to Paper, unbothered by Mystery Moon’s expression. “Speaking of which — what kind of power does Paper have?”

Paper thought about it for a moment. ”…Melting snow.”

“Anything else?” Lily tilted her head. “Can you freeze it back into ice?”

“No.” A pause. “And I can also make hot water cool very fast.”

“Temperature control?” Wendy mused, more to herself than the room. “But melting snow adds heat, and cooling water removes it — and you can’t reverse either direction. It’s probably not temperature control in the usual sense. Have you only tried it with water?”

“With other things the difference is very small.”

“Try this.” Lily held up a basin of soapy water from the counter beside the tub and extended it toward Paper.

The girl hesitated, then reached out and placed both hands into the basin. The steam stopped almost at once. Then, as they all watched, something stranger happened: the soap bubbles on the surface vanished. The white kernels of undissolved soap disappeared. The murky, grey-white water cleared — and kept clearing — until what remained in the basin was pristine, like water straight from a cold spring.

The four of them looked at it in silence.

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